Halo: Rapture Fall of Utopia
by KTHM
Summary: Prequel to Halo: Rapture. Short stories involving the citizens of Rapture. Everyone from Andrew Ryan to Peach Wilkins, Atlas to Bill McDonagh and so on.
1. Title Page

**Halo: Rapture Fall of Utopia**

(DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ (AT LEAST) UP TO _ACT TWO _OF HALO: RAPTURE.)

Written By: KTHM and Mortified Mind

Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, Bioshock, or anything you might recognize from other movies/games/books/poems or whatever else. I make no money from this, please do not sue me.

Claimer: All OCs are mine.

Concept: Prequel to Halo: Rapture. A Bioshock/Halo Crossover

Timeline: Before and during the fall of Rapture.

Main Character(s): The citizens of Rapture.

Summary: A collection of short stories (one shots) involving the people of Rapture during and before the Civil War. These will be stories elaborating on characters and what their life was like before the fall of the city. Character requests from Reviewers will be accepted. Anyone from Andrew Ryan all the way down to Peach Wilkins. People will only be revisited (two stories done on one person) if by popular request.

_Note: The characters suggested have to live in Rapture during the decline. _

Warnings: Blood, Gore, language, spoilers from Halo: Rapture, attempts of humor, insanity, Harvey, trying to tie events from Halo into the Bioshock universe. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

___

**Valley of Unrest**

By: Edgar Allen Poe

_Once it smiles a silent dell_

_Where the people did not dwell;_

_They had gone unto wars,_

_Trusting to mild-eyed stars,_

_Nightly, from their Azure Towers,_

_To keep watch above the flowers,_

_In the midst of which all day_

_The red sun-light lazily lay._

_Now each visitor shall confess_

_The sad valley's restlessness._

_Nothing there is motionless-_

_Nothing save the airs that brood_

_Over the magic solitude._

_Ah, by no wind are stirred those tree_

_That palpitate the chills seas_

_Around the misty Hebrides!_

_Ah, by no wind those clouds are driven_

_That rustle through the unquiet Heaven_

_Uneasily, from morn till even,_

_Over the violets there that lie_

_In myriad types of the human eyes-_

_Over the lilies there that wave_

_And weep above nameless grave!_

_They wave:-from off their fragrant tops_

_Eternal dews come down in drops._

_They weep:-from off their delicate stems_

_Perennial tears descend in gems. _


	2. Victor McDonagh

**Halo: Rapture Fall of Utopia**

Part One: Victor McDonagh

_Let's kick off the New Year..._

___

Victor McDonagh was a man who liked average things, so living in an underwater city that had more problems than the Titanic was doing something horrible to his stress levels. At the rate things were going, he'd go gray early.

He was by far closer to his uncle Bill then he was to his own parents. This showed through heavily when he followed in Bill's footsteps and became a contractor over taking over his parents' tavern. This particularly disappointed his parents because, long before moving to Rapture, his older brother Flann had joined the Navy. Neither brother could bring himself to be happy serving drinks for the rest of his life. Of course they never said that to their parents' faces, they weren't stupid.

Unfortunately, he found himself doing just that in his parents' tavern on New Years Eve of all times. Victor desperately tried not to let his parents' guilt him into anything, but every so often he found himself giving in. So, we find Victor running the bar on one of the busiest times of the year while his parents were out at the huge party being thrown at the Kashmir Restaurant.

The auburn haired man doubles over the bar and attempts to catch his breath after he brings up yet another case of wine for the party goers. He straightens and looks around at the boisterous crowd. There are just as many strangers as there are familiar faces as he had invited his friends down to the bar for the holiday party.

In a secluded corner near one of the large open windows was Anna in the midst of a drinking game with Namine Harrison and Preston Greene. Namine was Dr. Harrison's only child who was training to be a psychiatrist and Preston Greene was a reporter for the Vox Populi. The couple had little butterfly pins on their shirts, which made Victor skirt away from them subtly.

Then there was Allison Gillace, city prosecution lawyer, sitting at a round table with her boyfriend Emile Sosa, Nicolas Jones, and Maeve Daniels. There were others he recognized of course, and they seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves, intoxicated with alcohol and all that.

His Uncle Bill and Harvey would have been there as well, but they were expected to be at the Kashmir Restaurant with Ryan and the other council members. Victor was just glad that Anna was trying to make the most of the New Year rather than moping alone at the absence of her boyfriend. He spied her smiling and laughing happily as Namine dumped her beer over Greene's head after a particularly off color joke he had made.

Victor, tired of constantly running back to the cellar and taking orders at tables, took over at the register just as a fresh wave of people came in hoping to get blissfully drunk.

Closer to midnight people had started getting into party favors and the bar's radio was drowned out by whistles and annoying sounds. Just about everyone was wearing cheap paper party hats and covered in colorful paper confetti someone had brought with them.

Just as Victor and one of his helpers were pouring water on a firework some idiot had started on the hard wood floor, the broadcast changed to show Andrew Ryan standing before a podium with the more important council members waiting behind him with various vintage drinks.

_"Good evening, my friends. I hope you are enjoying your New Year's Eve celebration; it has been a year of trials for us all." _Victor snorted in disbelief as he looked around the suddenly quiet tavern. All the previously rambunctious and drunk patrons were staring at the screen with rapt attention. Anna and her table were paying particularly close attention to the broadcast. _"Tonight I wish to remind each of you that Rapture is your city. It was your strength of will that brought you here, and with that strength you shall rebuild. And so, Andrew Ryan offers you a toast. To Rapture. May it be our finest year." _The broadcast ended as Ryan raised his glass to the camera in a toast.

The chatter slowly started up again as the countdown to midnight appeared on the monitor. The customers and employees alike started chanting the countdown as the numbers flashed across the screen. Victor was the only who stayed silent and went back to work, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly bitter.

He was jabbing the numbers on the cash register with far more force than required when he caught a sudden movement at the corner of his eyes. The countdown was at five when he realized all the fish outside the window had darted away frightfully. Victor furrowed his brow and looked around as he felt a wave of foreboding.

Trusting his own instincts (they never failed him, before) he grabbed the shotgun under counter and subtly loaded it so as to not alarm the customers to his paranoid thoughts.

"...2...1-_HAPPY NEW YEAR_!" That's when all hell decided to break loose. The bar doors burst open and Splicers poured in with weapons and Plasmids flying.

_**"LONG LIVE ATLAS!" **_Several Splicers screamed as they attacked. Victor pumped the shotgun and fired at the nearest psychopath as the patrons panicked in an all manner of ways. Only a few had the presence of mind to grab anything that could be wielded as a weapon and put it to good use, mainly attacking Splicer.

"HEY! IT'S A-" He shot at one Splicer and immediately looked for a new target, "-FOUR DRINK" Another shot fired, "-MINIMUM TO DESTROY-" A Splicer's head exploded, "-MY BAR!" He swung his shotgun like a bat at a Splicer that ventured too close, "YOU FUCKERS!" Victor yelled before he caught sight of a few Splicers moving in on Anna. She had broken a leg off a bar stool and had made a makeshift torch from the stool leg, a torn piece of cloth from her jacket, and some good old fashioned alcohol. Preston and Namine were nowhere to be seen.

Victor quickly moved towards them and shot at a Spider Splicer trying to sneak behind the blond woman before being forced to reload. Anna swung at the nearest Splicer as they watched their friend fall from the ceiling. A Splicer screamed as the torch hit him upside the head and his acrid, alcohol stained clothes caught fire. He flailed and ran into his partners in his panic as Anna quickly used the distraction to slip away and head towards the relative safety of her shotgun wielding friend.

"You alright?" He called over the noise as he escorted her towards the backroom behind the bar. Victor was somewhat proud to see the other employees following the pre-planned emergency plan his parents had set up at his Uncle Bill's insistence. They were gathering as many patrons as they could and leading them into the armored backroom that was guarded diligently by some of the stronger employees and volunteers.

"Just peachy!" Anna called as she swung at a Splicer that attempted to jump her.

"Where're your drinking buddies?" Victor asked as he pulled her behind the counter and practically pushed her into the backroom.

"I don't know they disappeared!" She yelled as he slammed the door shut and got back into the fight.

___

Victor quickly lit a cigarette as he looked around at the corpses and debris littering his family bar. The fight had been over for five minutes, the crazed Splicer having retreated when Victor had managed to rally people against them.

The acrid air was replaced by cigarette smoke as the taste of nicotine blissfully filled his mouth and overtook the taste of blood that had come from a cut lower lip. "My folks are going to kill me." He finally sighed as he removed the cigarette from his mouth and exhaled smoke.

He jerked around when he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder in comfort and discovered a slightly battered Allison behind him. "It's not your fault; no one could have done better." She answered as Emile suddenly appeared, whipping off his side arm.

Victor gave the cop a thankful smile in regard to the help he had given during the attack. Emile nodded in understanding before draping his coat around his girlfriend without a word. "Vic, I'm going to need to poke around a bit...and a list of the patrons that were here tonight. It'll best if we start the investigation immediately." He said, placing his words delicately as he could.

Victor just took another drag on the cigarette and didn't deign him a response as he turned away moodily. Emile merely walked away to begin his investigation, not having actually expected much of a response. The auburn man observed Anna by the bar, bandaging and checking over all the wounded along with a few others with first aide and medical training. He moved towards the stairs near the bar and proceeded to the hotel and management floor, ignoring the bleeding cut on his forehead and bruised limbs.

He shoved the door to his father's office open and carelessly deposited himself in the comfy office chair. Victor tapped the cigarette against the ashtray on the desk before picking up the phone and calling his uncle's Chatter. He would be more agreeable to talk to then his dear old mom and dad.

The Chatter rang on and on with no answer and Victor tried several times before giving up. He hung the phone up and leaned back in the chair contemplatively when he realized that there was a very good chance that the bar had not been the only place to be attacked. The Kashmir Restaurant had been filled with Rapture's elite; of course it would be a prime target for rebels.

He jumped to his feet and raced back down stairs, determined to get information, one way or the other. Victor limped back down the hall and stopped at the balcony looking down on the first floor. "Has anyone been able to reach anyone on their Chatters?" He called to the busy people as he leaned against the railing for a little more support.

Almost like magic Anna's Chatter went off. "Hello? Harvey? Thank god! What? They what?! Are you alright? What're the casualties?" Victor felt dread settle in his stomach as he heard those words and several others looked up in worry. Anna listened intently with a solemn look for several more minutes before she hung up. "They attacked the Kashmir Restaurant too; they're still looking into the casualties. We do know that the council all survived and most of the higher society folks but the death toll is still high." She announced grimly as she rubbed her forehead tiredly.

Things would only get worse from this day forwards.

___**END OF PART ONE**___

Afterwords:

Howdy folks!

Well, we're doing this because of a certain problem we're having with the current _Halo: Rapture_ chapter. Oh, don't get us wrong, its all written and everything! Well, everything but a fight scene.

The reason why updates are normally so slow is because we can't write fight scenes. We hate them with every fiber of our being, but we write them for your entertainment anyway. Because of this we decided we needed a little diversion and so we cooked this up.

**SUGGEST THE NEXT CHAPTER! **Anyone you want, it doesn't matter. Just leave a review with who you want to see next and we'll write a short story about them. The only rule is that the person has to live in Rapture. So no: John, Zee' or Ardy. Sorry.

Hope you enjoyed this!

KTHM and a Mortfied Mind


	3. Anastasia Ryan

**Halo: Rapture Fall of Utopia**

_Short Stories About Rapture's Citizens_

Part Two: Dr. Anastasia Ryan

_It's not easy being Anna Ryan, but someone has to do it..._

___

Working for the public half of _Sinclair Solutions _was something of a dubious honor, to say the least. On one hand, CEO Augustus Sinclair was most certainly a stone hearted (his own words), dishonest, business man who took advantage of the poor and seemed only to care about filling his bank account. On the other hand, he treated his official, higher ranking employees very well. This includes Anna Ryan and Dr. Kirk Harrison.

Plus, her father disliked the man immensely. More points to Sinclair, in Anna's opinion.

Also, a little known fact about Sinclair was that he was one of the few people in the entire city Andrew Ryan relied on and they both knew it. Because of this, Sinclair loved subtly (or not so subtly) needling the older man, whenever they happened to cross paths.

Even more points to Sinclair.

Though some days, she despised how cruel and insensitive the man could be but on others...well...

Today, we find Anna at home taking care of her ill twin boys, aged 3. Yes, it was a working day but Mr. Sinclair had told her (over the phone, early that morning) to take time off and that she could make it up later, just be sure she had her paper work filed correctly. It's not like she hadn't built up the vacation days after all.

Today, she was thankful to be working for Sinclair over, say, Doctor Steinman (the job she turned down) or worse, her father.

Mr. Ryan could be quite insensitive when it came to his grandsons. Anna suspected that they might have reminded him a little too heavily of John, god rest her brother's soul, and thus he immediately disliked them for the reminder. Not to say he hated John or her sons. It was the reminder and the pain that still came from the emotional wounds that had yet to heal Ryan did not like.

Anna, of course, had predicted this and had named Harrison godfather to the twins. That had not only upset Andrew but also her mother. Anna ignored both in favor of ensuring someone would have them looked. What was important, especially now, when she couldn't trust her parents (in all the drama they were needlessly putting on themselves) to take care of the boys.

The only sad part was that Sean and Alex had started calling Sinclair and Harrison, Granddad Augustus and Grandpa Kirk because of their real grandparents' absence. They didn't even see either man all that much, but it was more often than they saw Andrew or Diane. It upset her when she thought about it, so she stopped thinking about it.

Then there was a certain council member to add to the drama she called her life. Harvey. Apparently, Mr. Sinclair's cousin, but she didn't buy that for a second. In cahoots with Sinclair is more like it. On this one she was willing to believe her father's paranoia. He truly was a spy if she ever saw one. Not that everyone thought that way, the majority of people considered the harmless, slightly off balanced engineer to be just that. Nothing more.

Then again, she was a shrewder observer than most. They say she got that from her father, but _she_ said that she got it from her brother.

It was obvious from her first date that Harvey's skills lay outside of the world of romance, and that he had little experience with relationships. He knew the basics pretty well though, so their relationship was going alright...okay, they had been going steady for three months. It was going very well and the boys adored the man. If the gifts he brought and the games he played with them were anything to go by then he was fond of them as well. It was so hard to find a man who didn't mind being with a single mother...much less the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Ryan.

Anna was suddenly shaken from her thoughts by movement in Alex's bed as the little boy opened his hazel eyes groggily. She smiled as she offered the boy a glass of cool water before he fell back asleep after a slight coughing fit. Poor guy.

She quickly checked on Sean but the black hair boy was sleeping like a rock in a strange position, nearly falling off his bed. She carefully moved him further on the bed and into a less twisted position, he didn't even stir.

Anna had just finished feeling both boys' foreheads when there was a knock on her apartment door. She made her way out of the bedroom as she recounted the number of people who knew where she lived.

'_Sinclair. Him, here, lifting more than a phone to do something other than his usual dastardly deeds? Preposterous!_

_Harrison. Out of his lab and/or office? Pigs will grow wings and fly without the use of ADAM before that happens. _

_Harvey. Possible. He was known for showing up at odd moments. _

_Victor. Not during working hours. _

_Father. Ha! Good one. _

_Mother. Only slightly more possible then father showing up at her doors step.'_

Or she could be wrong because, there on her doorstep was Diane McClintock-Ryan. "Anna, dear. I heard you were here." They hugged before Anna invited her mother inside, slightly hesitant.

"How?" The youngest blond woman asked as she quickly prepared drinks for the two of them and looked in on the sleeping boys.

"How'd I know you were home? I called your office but your boss, Harrison, I think his name was, answered and told me rather abruptly you were taking a day off." Diane answered as she took a seat on the sofa. "He's a short tempered man." She observed as Anna handed her a mug of coffee.

"He's a good person; he just doesn't have much patience or people skills. That's sort of my department, which is why Mr. Sinclair paired us up." Anna answered in defense to her direct boss as she took a seat.

Diane made a noise as she took a drink from the mug before speaking, "It's nice to see you at home in any case. I think you and your father work too much." She murmured regretfully as she gazed down into her beverage.

Anna frowned uncomfortably, "Really, I only took the day off because Sean and Alex aren't well. Aside from Victor and Harvey, I don't have much of a social life outside of work." Diane looked at her daughter, a light smile appearing on her lips.

"Oh, who's Harvey?" Anna's cheeks lit up a bit before she formulated a good enough response to please her mother and still keep her own privacy.

"A friend of Victor's and the lawyers' representative on the Council. We've been on a few dates but nothing too serious." That was a bit of a fib, but she didn't want to excite her mother into thinking she could plan another wedding. Goodness, her last one hadn't gone well and that marriage had ended terribly. Bastard, leaving her all alone with the kids! She also suspected he was more interested in being related to Ryan then actually being with her.

"Well, it's nice to hear you've been getting out. It's more than your father does...we never seem to go anywhere anymore. Its seems like work is all that matters to him." Diane sighed sadly before taking another drink from her coffee. "After that awful public debate with Dr. Lamb he began to be more withdrawn and angrier than ever."

Yes, Anna remembered that broadcasted debate vividly, her father had not done well. Harvey and Victor had told her that after words Ryan had a bad argument with Bill and then locked himself in his office for quite a while. A few days after that, Sinclair had told Harrison and her in passing that he thought Ryan was setting himself up for the nuthouse if he kept up his paranoid decisions and short temper.

Though, as she looked at her mother, she was more worried about Diane at the moment. It wasn't a well known fact, but she had started to drink, far more than what was considered okay or normal. Anna didn't want her father to turn into a psychopath anymore than she wanted her mother to turn into an alcoholic. It was times like these, she truly did miss John.

That's when her phone rang. Anna quickly excused herself from her mother's presence and made her way to her small office, checking on the boys on her way there.

"Hello. Dr. Anna Ryan speaking." She stated in what Harvey had dubbed her 'professional voice.'

_"Anastasia, is your mother there?" _Surprise, surprise it was Ryan himself.

She rolled her blue eyes before adopting a sweet, yet sarcastic voice, "Good morning to you as well father. Yes, I'm doing well but the boys are a little under the weather. Considerate of you to ask. Just wait for one moment and I'll get mother." She set the phone on the desk before alerting Diane to the phone call.

Anna sat outside the office as she listened to her mother's side of the conversation turned argument. At first it was the usual stuff coming from Diane. 'You work too hard, you need a vacation, how could you be so insensitive to the people, yadda, yadda, yadda.' Then it turned more desperate and personal as the argument escalated.

Really, her parent's have an argument over her phone while the Alex and Sean were sick in bed. Both could be a bit insensitive when they were pretending the boys and her first marriage didn't exist. She wasn't exactly a fan of her parents' constant arguing either but the kids really disliked it when people yelled. Whether it was at them or at others.

Anna eventually closed the office door when her mother unceremoniously broke into tears. If her marriage was bad than theirs was a tragedy.

She quickly checked on the boys and was dismayed to discover them both awake and miserable. Alex had his face buried in his teddy bear clearly upset while Sean was trying to get the radio to work. She sadly took the radio from her son's small hands and set it to an appropriate station to drown out the conversation that was escalating to a shouting match on both sides.

Both Andrew and Diane were responsible for the large rift in the family.

"Why'd they have to fight?" Alex croaked through his sore throat as he lifted his head from the stuffed bear. She ruffled his hair before having him sip a glass of water.

"They're selfish, but don't go telling them I said that." She mocked warned as she picked Sean stuffed tiger up from the floor where it had fallen. That's when her private Chatter started ringing. She nearly screamed in frustration, what now?!

"Hello, Anna speaking." She asked tightly as she tried to keep her voice pleasant.

_"Bad time?" _Harvey's voice asked from the other side, she could hear murmurs of noise in the background that sounded like her was on the street. She could feel herself relax a little at the sound of her boyfriend.

"My parents' drama's worse than usual. Nothing I can't handle." She answered as the boys looked up curiously in silent askance.

_"I heard the kids were sick? How bad?" _He asked in concern as city noises got a quieter in the background.

She felt heartened by his concern, especially after her parents' insistence on ignoring them. "Just a fever, nothing too bad but I wanted to be here for them. So, any particular reason you decided to call?"

_"I, uh, got something I need to discuss with you, but not over the ChatterNet...Could you let me in?" _

Anna's head spun towards the direction of her front door even though she couldn't see it through the wall of the boys' bedroom, "Are you at my doorstep?!"

A lightly sheepish reply, _"Uh huh." _Anna released a puff of air as she stood and silently directed Sean and Alex to stay put as she quickly strode to her front door and let her wayward boyfriend.

A sheepish grin was plastered on his pale face as he put away his Chatter into the jacket pocket of his dark blue business suit, "Hiya honey. Miss me?" Anna merely gave him a look before letting him in and gestured for him to be quiet and follow her to the boys' room. Hopefully, she'd be able to sneak by her mother while she was still on the phone.

It was all for naught though because the minute they walked passed the office door it opened to reveal a slightly disheveled Diane. A look of surprise lit up on all three faces before Anna recovered first, "Mother, this is Harvey, you remember me telling you about him. He just stopped by to say hello and see how the kids were doing." She stated hoping to recover the situation before it got worse.

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am. Anna's told me a lot about you." Harvey answered as held out his hand. Diane merely muttered a greeting as she swept out of the apartment with tears streaming down her face, clearly upset over the phone call from her husband.

They watched the woman leave with a combination of surprise and alarm before Anna away. "What did he say to her?" Her voice incredulous as she turned away from Harvey and proceeded to check on her sons before meeting Harvey in her office.

Anna discovered a knocked over vase of flowers Harvey had given her a week prior on the floor. No doubt done in a fit by Diane. She carefully salvaged the pretty bouquet as Harvey took a seat on the corner of the desk. "What's so important you had to come all the way here unannounced to tell me?" She asked as she set the vase back in its place on her desk.

"Your old man had been going on a standard power trip up until now, but it's escalated to full-blow megalomania just this morning." He started as fiddled with a box of cigarettes that he removed from his pant's pocket before a look from his girlfriend made him put them away. "He's going to put all the Bathyspheres in lock down and restrict public congregations to three people. Any more than three and it'll be considered an 'actionable offense' and on top of that he's upping the curfew to 8 PM." Her blue eyes widened in response as her actions stilled.

"When's this supposed to be announced. Anna asked, her voice had a light tremor in it as she realized just what had made Harvey come all the way to her apartment. This was bad.

"Over the next few weeks or so, he's gonna spread it out so people'll be less likely to revolt. If you ask me he's just shooting himself in the foot doin' this." He answered, crossing his arms over his chest and looking out the window. "Have you considered talking to him?" He asked distantly as if he already knew the answer but thought it best to ask anyway.

Anna scuffed, "He doesn't listen to me, if anything my protesting will provoke him more... does he realize he's driving mother and me away...or is that what he wants. God! This is confusing, why does he have to do this?!" Tears appeared in her eyes as she thought about everything that had been going on lately. Plasmids, Fontaine's death, the rebel Atlas appearing, Dr. Lamb's antagonizing… The list went on and it all went to destroying her father's sense of self and morals.

Harvey hugged her when he saw the tears appear as he tried to think of a suitable answer but none came to mind. Between them, it was Anna, who spoke first, "I'm afraid next time I see him, I'll do more than just knock him upside the head." Harvey chuckled in response as he pulled back a little to look her in the face.

"Yeah, but where would that land ya?" He asked jokingly as he wiped away the remnants of tears.

"Persephone." She answered darkly. Harvey's smile fell instantly as he pulled away in alarm.

___**END OF PART TWO**___


End file.
